A STORY OF HOPE
Looking back on 2024 we are moved by the resilience of our patients, as well as our team’s heartfelt dedication to building brighter futures for them in the Berkshires.
Accessing high-quality and culturally supportive perinatal care can be difficult in the United States. Some of the obstacles our patient population face include a lack of insurance, language barriers, lack of knowledge regarding the complexity of the health care system, unavailability of language interpreters at medical centers, transportation issues, a lack of trust in the medical system, and disruptions in traditional support systems.*
At ViM, we bridge these accessibility gaps to attune to the needs of our patients. Read our interview below to learn more about one patient’s journey through immigration, pregnancy and childbirth. We’re grateful to provide a place of comfort and care for this new family.
First of all, congratulations! How old is your baby?
Thank you! She’s 26 days old.
So tell us, how did you find out about ViM?
A friend told me about ViM when we first arrived here.
Do you remember your first visit?
Yes, it was when I went to register. Everyone spoke Spanish and treated me with a certain charisma, it was like coming home and hugging your own family.
How has ViM shaped your experience here in the Berkshires?
Oh, it changed me. It changed me a lot. I was very depressed when I arrived here, I was in a state of major depression. Before coming to the Berkshires, I was held in a detention center for 40 days. In the detention center, no one wanted to help me, no one lent a hand. After a Credible Fear of Persecution and Torture screening I was released to seek asylum. ViM welcomed me like family, ViM helped me with everything. They helped me with the immigration process, with my marriage license, insurance, with clothing. I am so grateful to the entire ViM group.
“Everyone spoke Spanish and treated me with a certain charisma, it was like coming home and hugging your own family.”
Wow. Can you tell me more about that experience?
I was held in a detention for 40 days as I told you, I felt devastated. Coming to ViM, I was so impressed with way they treated me, and their questions. The questions ViM asked me about my experience, I answered them with tears. And they were there for me, helping me, and giving me advice on how to live here.
And how did ViM help with the pregnancy, and your family?
We became pregnant while we were patients at ViM, and now we are safely home with our healthy baby. ViM took care of us throughout the pregnancy, they helped us get the baby insurance, and they checked on us once we were home from the hospital.
Before ViM, did you receive medical care in your country?
Yes, I had medical care, but there is no comparison to the care I receive here at ViM. My country is lost right now.
Why did you choose this part of the United States, the Berkshires?
Ah. It's because my wife's cousin is here, and I don't like New York City.
Here, in the Berkshires, the people here welcome you as if you were from this country. They talk to you, they laugh with you, they greet you, interact with you, they help you.
“When you arrive in this country, you arrive with nothing because you leave your family and everything. ViM welcomes you like a family. There is no comparison with ViM. I’m pointing everything to ViM. There are no words with ViM.”
What kind of work do you do?
I work in gardening, well, I finished gardening now that it’s winter. My boss is American, and the way I work with him is spectacular. He treats me as if I were an American. Right now I'm working at a hotel, in housekeeping, but it's hit or miss, I don’t have paid work every day.
Is there anything specific that comes to mind when you reflect on your experience here so far?
Yes, I needed help with my marriage. I couldn’t find a judge. I remember Lilia [Baker, ViM] told me, “we have someone who can help you,” and it felt like it came from heaven, it helped us so much. ViM supported my immigration process. ViM helped me with the asylum process, the procedure, the paperwork, and when we needed help with English translation.
I don't like to bother ViM a lot, but when we call ViM always answers, and we have someone who can help us. ViM has never said no.
If you had to say one thing about ViM, what would you say?
Wow. I would tell you that ViM is a place where you arrive and feel comfortable, both with the people and the way they treat you. I'm not saying economically, but in the way one feels.
When you arrive in this country, you arrive with nothing because you leave your family and everything. ViM welcomes you like a family. There is no comparison with ViM. I'm pointing everything to ViM. There are no words with ViM. ViM helps a lot.
*Merry et al., 2023; Small et al., 2014; Steenland et al., 2023
